Deep beneath Kronborg Castle, in the cold vaulted casemates where the walls weep with moisture from the Øresund and the only light comes from guttering torches, sits a figure of immense power frozen in stone stillness. This is Holger Danske — Ogier the Dane — the greatest warrior Denmark has ever known, and he has been sleeping for a very long time.
0%
Crowns & Conquests·1/2·1′
The place
Kronborg Castle
Holger Danske — The Sleeping Warrior
The knight who sleeps beneath Kronborg until Denmark's darkest hour
Medieval legend, revived during World War II (1940-1945)Kronborg Castle
Moral of the Story
“A nation's greatest defenders may not be its armies or its kings but the ordinary people who, in the darkest hour, choose to embody the spirit of an ancient promise.”
Characters
H
Holger Danske (Ogier the Dane)C
CharlemagneM
Morgan le FayD
Danish resistance fightersSource
Hans Christian Andersen, "Holger Danske" (1845); Chansons de geste (Chevalerie Ogier); Danish national folklore tradition